Claire Evans

Claire Cowan Evans, a vibrant, creative, and larger-than-life personality, passed away on February 1st. Despite battling aggressive cancer, she was miraculously free of pain the entire time and died peacefully in her home of more than 55 years.
Born on September 30, 1942, Claire grew up with a passion for The Arts. As a child actress, she appeared on shows including The Milton Berle Show, and never lost her interest in TV and films. Throughout her life, her creativity knew no limits—she was a painter, a presenter
on local TV, a needlepoint artist, an actress and a songwriter.  For every special moment in the lives of her friends and family, Claire wrote a
heartfelt poem, leaving a legacy of love and words.  After a brief career in advertising, and attending college at University of Rhode
Island and Finch College in New York City, Claire married Dr. Jerome Evans in 1965 on the rooftop at the iconic Pierre Hotel in Manhattan.
Their marriage was full of dinners with friends, backyard parties at their West Hartford home, travel with the family and attending live theater in both Hartford and her hometown, New York City.

After Dr. Evans' sudden passing in 2006, Claire carried the weight of his loss with immense grace, but she never fully recovered from losing her soulmate. Her family chooses to remember the Claire of years ago.  The artist and consummate volunteer. In addition to her artistic endeavors, she could often be found working at the West Hartford Courthouse, the Hartford Stage, her kids schools and AIDS Project Hartford among other worthy organizations.  She is survived by her devoted children, daughter Debbie Bellusci and her husband Vincent Bellusci, and her son Donald Evans and his wife Jill, as well as her grandchildren, Alexandra, Olivia, and Evan Bellusci, and William and Andrew Evans.  She was preceded in death by her husband Dr. Jerome Evans, her parents Victoria and Daniel Cowan, and her sister, Judy Rosenthal.

Her family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to her incredible caregivers, whose kindness and care made Claire’s final days peaceful and filled with love.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to an arts organization of your choice. Claire’s spirit will live on in the art she created and the poems she wrote and for that we are forever grateful.